Gary Meers, Ed.D.

About me

I am an Education Advisor/Consultant for MaxKnowledge. I write courses that assist in the professional development of career college instructors. These courses range in content from the introductory level to advanced instructional development. I started my teaching career as an instructional technology teacher on the high school level, completed graduate school and then moved into higher education. I spent many years in the area of teacher training at the University of Nebraska. While at the University of Nebraska I stared working with career college instructors to improve their instructional delivery skills. As a result of these experiences I have been a consultant to career colleges throughout the United States and a number of foreign countries.

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Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Creating Personal Support Systems

Aprilan, I agree with you about not becoming too involved in the personal lives of students. You are doing the right thing in referring them to the Students Assistance Office. Also, you have to control the discussion of student lives in class or their problems will soon take over the class and no progress will be made in sharing the content. Gary Dr. Gary Meers

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Creating Personal Support Systems

Aprilan, Good strategies for instructors to follow. Thanks for sharing them with us. I know they will be of value to many instructors as they do their instructional planning. Gary Dr. Gary Meers

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Developing Clear Goals and Objectives

Cindy, Good question and the answer depends on several issues. Many career colleges provide instructors with a formal syllabus and set of goals and objectives. In this case the instructor needs to look at the goals and objectives and see how he/she can personalize them to their style of teaching. In other situations, if a new instructor is given a good set of goals and objectives then that instructor can use them to teach the course and interject their own stories and examples. The third method can be the one you list and that would be use the goals and… >>>

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Application of New Knowledge

John, You are "connecting the dots" for the students with this three pronged approach. The results with be more student engagement and higher retention of the content. Keep up the good work. Gary Dr. Gary Meers

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

The Human Factor in Retention

Leslie, Good point. I have students that have never had anyone be proud of nor supportive of them. To have a person in authority, me be supportive of them and their efforts is a powerful motivator. This is not a responsibility that I take lightly. Gary Dr. Gary Meers

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

The Human Factor in Retention

Roger, So true. They will have confidence in your advice and encouragement because they know you care about them and their success. Gary Dr. Gary Meers

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

The Human Factor in Retention

John, Good point and the reason we need to bring our A game to the classroom/lab each time we teach. Our students deserve that from us. Gary Dr. Gary Meers

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Understanding Learner Characteristics

Lima, Good point and one we need to remember when we enter the classroom. We wouldn't want a "one size fits all" education for ourselves so we shouldn't offer it to our students. Gary Dr. Gary Meers

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Understanding Learner Characteristics

Wesley, One of the pay offs of teaching is impacting the lives of students for the good. Knowing enough about a student to help him or her be successful is a powerful motivator for us instructors. You make a good point about us needing to be able to know and support our students in our classes. Gary Dr. Gary Meers

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Feeling Accepted Helps with Success

David, Thanks for sharing this class sharing exercise. This is such a fun and comfortable way to get the students talking with each other and started the development of a learning community. Gary Dr. Gary Meers

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